Access Bank Lagos Marathon targets platinum label, faster time

Organisers of the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon are aiming for a faster finish time of 2 hours, 10 minutes in the 10th edition of the race.

The 42km and 10km race is set to take place on Saturday, February 2025.

Speaking at a symposium for accredited journalists at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, the General Manager of the race, Olympian Yusuf Ali, stated that the Gold Label event is edging closer to achieving Platinum Label status after its 10th anniversary.

“The indices for achieving the much-coveted Platinum Label have been fulfilled, and we are working hard to make the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon the first in Africa to achieve this status.”

Read Also: Top Nigerian sports dignitaries sign up for 10th Access Bank Lagos City Marathon

Ali confirmed that this year’s edition boasts a strong field of elite runners, including:

7 Gold Label runners in the male category, 2 Platinum Label runners in the male category, 5 Gold Label runners in the female category and 1 Platinum Label runner in the female category.

“World Athletics (WA) has changed the ranking modalities, requiring runners to be among the top 300. We have ticked all the boxes for Platinum Label qualification, and this year, we are changing the status quo.”

Ali also revealed that past concerns—such as water supply issues from last year’s event—have been fully addressed.

Also, the race will feature a new pacing strategy comprising three pacers for the men’s category and one pacer for the women’s category.

Pacers will drop at 30km, 35km, and 40km, but if strong enough, they can finish the race and potentially win.

“We have over 100 elite runners so far. The 10km race has attracted more participants than the 42km marathon,” Ali added.